The Joomla Project has released Joomla 1.7.0, which is offering the familiar open-source content management system suited for quickly developing websites plus a platform for developing other Web applications.

From a site builder's perspective, Joomla 1.7.0 brings some minor improvements, such as the ability to add a background image to the custom HTML module, the ability to specify the site name before or after the page title, and a "remove installation folder" button as part of the installation process. Of course, the latest version also deals with bugs found in previous releases. Changes in the user interface or any new 'visible' features are limited and remain the same as those found in the alpha version of the software platform.

The most important change is related to developers. Joomla's framework is separated from the CMS, meaning that it's possible to build new applications with the Joomla framework.

With the new new the Joomla platform v11.2, which is included at the latest Joomla download package, Joomla.org wants to change the way developers, architects and service providers deal with Joomla in the future.

Developers will be able to use the Joomla platform independently of the CMS. This means that you?ll have the choice between different CMSs on top of the Joomla platform in the future.

The platform also allows developers to contribute / add features more quickly. In the past, good code wasn?t always included into Joomla core. With the Joomla platform stored on GitHub it is very easy to fork it for your own purpose and it is easy too to integrate your code in the main branch.

The platform will also follow a 3-month release cycle, making it possible to add features into the platform much quicker than into the CMS.

The platform package consists of the files stored in the folder /libraries and /media. The platform has no user interface. The platform source code is stored in the Git version control system GitHub.